Inner West Council mayoral minute on Voice turns sour
Image: Tensions escalted over a mayoral minute from Mayor Darcy Bryne (pictured). Image: Mayor Darcy Bryne/Facebook.
By ROBBIE MASON
A seemingly innocuous motion put forward by Mayor Darcy Bryne at an Inner West Council meeting last night led to a tense stand-off between councillors over a proposed local brewery festival in support of the yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament.
The motion called for Inner West Council to work alongside other local councils, non-profit organisations and local citizens to promote the yes campaign. It also suggested the council approach Yes 23 and the Uluru Dialogue about convening a “Walking Together for Yes” march in the city’s inner west.
But councillors expressed confusion and disgruntlement with the fifth section of the mayoral minute which suggested the local council write to the Inner West Brewers Association and craft breweries within the Inner West proposing they host a combined festival in support of the Voice to Parliament.
Greens Councillor Liz Atkins told City Hub that Inner West Council “shouldn’t be seen to be promoting the consumption of alcohol generally. Alcohol is the most widely abused drug in Australia.”
While recognising studies that show First Nations people are less likely to drink that non-First Nations people, Atkins described alcohol as a “sensitive issue”.
“Festivals like Garma and Yabun in Victoria Park are dry.”
Greens Councillor Marghanita Da Cruz asserted that “it is insensitive to the gravity of the Referendum” and that she has learned from past experience not to mix alcohol with dialogue with First Nations communities.
“Way back in 2000 I remember inviting a First Nations elder to speak to a wine and cheese learning circle on reconciliation, only to learn they did not drink alcohol.
During the meeting, various councillors questioned why the mayoral minute chose to focus on the alcohol industry rather than other local businesses.
Mayor Darcy Bryne appeared frustrated before Council, accusing councillors of “disgraceful politicking”.
In the meeting, he asserted, “it will be symbolic of the overall challenge that we face if the only comments that people make to this motion are about why they oppose breweries being included rather than about why they support reconciliation.”
Councillors have now hit back. Independent Councillor John Stamolis said, “the point was glaringly out of context with a broad-based and inclusive motion supporting an Aboriginal Voice.”
“Why can’t Council itself organise community events which invite Aboriginal speakers, performers and showcase Aboriginal artwork and culture?”
Cr Atkins told City Hub, “I thought it was insulting the way the Mayor implied that we don’t support the Voice referendum because we were asking for one section from the mayoral minute to be removed.”
Cr Atkins said that councillors have always unanimously endorsed motions supportive of the Voice to Parliament.
Echoing Cr Atkins, fellow Greens Councillor and Balmain MP Kobi Shetty stated that councillors had “raised very reasonable concerns”.
An amended version of the motion with the sections relating to breweries omitted passed unanimously.
Mayor Darcy Bryne appeared unremorseful telling the Council he would still contact local breweries and encourage them to collaborate and support the yes campaign.
Councillors only received notification of the mayoral minute at 4 o’clock in the afternoon yesterday.
Cr Da Cruz said there was “nothing” that warranted the motion being put before council because “our community accesses our venues and grants routinely”.
A motion put forward by Cr Da Cruz for the council to improve the council’s outward acknowledgment of First Nations sovereignty passed unanimously. Inner West Council will now display an Indigenous map of Australia in the council chamber and local libraries, fly the Torres Strait Islander flag in the council chamber alongside the Aboriginal flag and investigate adopting traditional place names in correspondence.
